Unified 17-2s: Player Evaluations

<p><em>Article by Coreen Bell</em></p> <p>Unified Volleyball is in its 5th year and located in Auburn Hills.  Their mission is to train youth athletes to improve and compete at their highest level possible, whether they are working to make their school team, winning a state championship, or aspiring to play in college.</p> <p>Often a player, and sometimes their parents, put too much stock in the team their child makes.  For example, not making a 1s team can be devastating to both the player and the parents.  But at most clubs, the 2s team is often just as talented.  Here we will showcase the 17-2s team playing for Unified, who is off to a great start.</p> <p>The 17-2 team coach by Rick Wooten-Smith was off to a fabulous start before the abrupt hiatus to club volleyball.  So remarkable, they took down Legacy 1 Adidas and their own club mates, Unified National 1, on the same day at JVA Rock-n-Rumble in January.  These two victories propelled them to a 13th place finish out of 24 teams in the open division.</p> <p>The team is led by libero [player_tooltip player_id="50323" first="Mya" last="Minjares"] (Shrine), who earned MVP honors at the Capitol Hill Classic in DC this past February, where the team finished 1st in the club division.  Minajares has an extremely high IQ of the game, which is a result of all her hard work.  During the fall, Mya played in 82 sets for Shrine, which resulted in 387 digs and 44 aces.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="89366" first="Sophie" last="Paspal"] (Salem) leads the team in hitting percentage while playing the middle.  Her ability to get on top of the ball, in addition to jumping 10 feet, helped earn her the best attacker at the Capitol Hill Classic.</p> <p>Julia Blair (Oxford) leads the team in blocks, which earned her best blocker at the Capitol Hill Classic and is second in hitting percentage with her quick arm swing. Coming in as the tallest member of the team, Blair stands at 6’3” and covers pin to pin with her long reach.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="89373" first="Paige" last="Weeder"] (Holly) – is a six rotation player who plays much taller than her 5’9” frame.  Weeder always remains composed and never gives up.  Her ability to hit line and cross in addition to being a fantastic server helps her team earn points when needed.</p> <p>Morgan Schmidt - 5’4” Schmidt attends Lakeland High School.  She has great hands and is lethal at dumping and hitting the ball, according to Wooten-Smith.  Schmidt’s ability to run a quick tempo offense keeps opposing teams playing honest defense at the net.</p> <p>Claire Clemans plays in the middle for Rochester Adams.  For the Highlanders, Claire played in 72 sets, which garnered her with 61 kills, 27 solo blocks, and 30 total blocks.   Currently playing the right side, Claire is becoming a dynamic pin hitter.</p> <p>Abbey Biermann (Eisenhower).  Biermann is a hard worker who will do anything for the team, according to her coach.  She plays a solid defensive specialist role but is also considered a utility player.  She has great hands for setting out of system and can hit if necessary. In her junior year, Biermann played in 101 sets and tallied 478 digs.</p> <p>Nicole Jewell (Holly). Nicole is in her first full season to the setter position and is holding down the fort.  She is a versatile player who has played most, if not all, positions for the Holly High Bronchos.  Playing all positions at one time or another provides Nicole with great court vision and the ability to move the ball around to her attackers.  Her two-year varsity stats show she played in 210 sets, which resulted in 395 kills, 84 aces, 5 blocks, and 340 digs.</p> <p>Sarah Jewell is a Holly Broncho along with her twin Nicole and Weeder.    Sarah is an outside attacker for Unified and is able to hit all kinds of shots at her opponent.  Jewell plays on the outside and occasional libero for Holly during the fall.  The 5’11" junior tallied 184 kills in 106 sets played last fall.</p> <p>Last but not least is Sydney Richter, who is a senior at Oxford High School.  Richter, who is able to play in the 17s division due to her age, is a six rotation player for both the Wildcats and Unified.  Syd is calm and collected in tough situations and makes for a great teammate. Her Wildcat career comes to an end with varsity numbers of 213 sets played 533 kills and 97 aces.</p>